Powerade Launches NIL TV Spot with College Basketball Stars Johnson, Collier

LSU's Flau'jae Johnson, USC's Isaiah Collier star in 'March Doesn’t Start In March' campaign

Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, the "official hydration partner of March Madness," Powerade has launched a new TV campaign featuring two of college basketball's brightest stars. The sports drink brand released an early look at their upcoming commercial - entitled "March Doesn’t Start In March" - starring defending National Champion Flau'jae Johnson of LSU and freshman sensation Isaiah Collier of USC.

Both athletes partnered with Powerade in January and this is the brand's first March Madness campaign to feature NIL athletes, which will air across national television, digital creative, out-of-home and social media. The spot will debut on Sunday, March 17 on CBS during the NCAA Selection Show.

“Not everyone sees the work and long-hours that we put in every day, whether we’re in-season at school or training back home,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this new campaign with Powerade and work to inspire the next generation of athletes to put in that extra effort to reach their full potential.”

“Growing up, I’ve always felt that the most important workouts are the ones you do away from the spotlight when no one’s watching,” Collier added. “Just like you’ll see in this new spot, Powerade fuels me every step of the way as I’m grinding to get better and improve my game.”

To amplify the launch, Powerade is also teaming up with more than 40 additional NIL athletes across the country to create supporting digital and social media content.

“Powerade has such a deep history in college sports, so it was a no-brainer to team up with two of the best college basketball players in the game today and work to build off the great momentum the brand saw in 2023,” said Tom Gargiulo, BodyArmour Sports Nutrition CMO. “Both Flau’Jae and Isaiah embody the same hard-working, never-quit attitude as Powerade, so we’re thrilled to see this new campaign come to life and showcase to athletes and consumers everywhere that Powerade offers more than the competition.”

Johnson and Collier join Powerade's NIL roster that includes Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, Jared Verse of Florida State, Malaki Starks of Georgia, Kalen Johnson of Iowa and Mario Williams of USC.

24-4 LSU is currently ranked No. 9 and the defending champs are poised to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Collier's Trojans just defeated crosstown rival UCLA on Sunday but will likely miss March Madness.